A carrier
version of the
IIB with a
strengthened undercarriage was also produced starting in early 1941,
and a carrier version of the IIC went into production in early 1942.
About 800 Sea Hurricanes were produced.

The Hawker Hurricane was the workhorse
fighter of the Battle of Britain
and was responsible for bringing down
more bombers than the more famous Spitfire. The prototype first flew
on 6 November 1935, and the aircraft entered production in October
1937. It was flown by virtually every Allied air force except the United States and was the most
numerous British fighter until well into 1941.

The fighter was an excellent gunnery platform, and it
had a very tight turn radius, but lacked the performance of more modern
fighters. Like most fighters developed for use in Europe early in the
war, it was
too
short-ranged for effective use in the Pacific. Nevertheless,
it was the
best aircraft the British could spare against the Japanese
at the start of the Pacific war.

The aircraft was eventually relegated to a ground
attack role, and a number were armed with 40mm cannon for use as tank busters.